Devyani Rana Creates History in J&K Assembly With Bypoll Win
Her victory raises women’s representation in the Jammu & Kashmir Assembly to a record 4.44%
GG News Bureau
Srinagar, 14th Nov: BJP’s Devyani Rana on Friday broke a new glass ceiling by winning the assembly bypoll from the Nagrota constituency, marking a historic moment for Jammu and Kashmir as the Union Territory will now have four elected women legislators for the first time.
Until now, the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly had elected only three women MLAs in 2008, 2014 and 2024 — the highest female representation recorded before this bypoll.
Women’s share in the Assembly stood at 3.4 per cent in both the 2008 and 2014 elections when the House strength was 87. After the 2022 delimitation increased the number of elected seats to 90, the percentage marginally slipped to 3.33 per cent.
However, Devyani Rana’s decisive win from Nagrota has now lifted women’s representation to 4.44 per cent, a milestone in the political history of J&K.
The other elected women legislators in the current Assembly include National Conference (NC) leader Sakina Masood Ittoo, who also serves as a Cabinet minister in the Omar Abdullah government; Shamima Firdous of the NC, a three-time MLA from Srinagar’s Habbakadal constituency; and the BJP’s Shagun Parihar, a first-time MLA representing Kishtwar.
Devyani’s victory is being viewed as a boost for the BJP in the Jammu region and a symbolic step forward in expanding women’s participation in the region’s political landscape.
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